Fungi

These long threadlike mushrooms, enoki, are my current obsession.  They are fantastic in soup.  Like extra chewy noodles.  Mmmmm.........

Delicious

My husband made this dish for valentines and it was delicious.  Tortellini with fennel and sausage

Pods

I didn't realize that the seed pods on radishes were edible.  So going to harvest them next year.  Useful!

Summery

I made this dish of eggs in mushroom caps the other day accompanied by a side of roasted cherry tomatoes.  So perfect and summery.  Will be doing it again!  (And maybe will marinate the caps the next go round).

Recent culinary adventures

The boy-o and I recently hosted a PB&J potluck with some adventurous friends (including the amazingly talented Andrea!)

We made these dishes:

Spicy Peanut Soup - Makes WAY more than four servings!
PB&J Wings - can't find recipe but seriously good
Prosecco Jelly with Nectarines & Blueberries
Deep-fried rolos - the next great fair food?

We also did loads of beer tasting, and two of my new faves are Wells Banana Bread Beer and Rogue John John Ale.  Love our potlucks!

Deliciousness

I made this recipe for Korean short ribs last weekend.  So good!  Paired it with rice and a side of swiss chard.  Definitely going into the recipe box.

Deliciousness

This recipe for black-eyed pea stew is deliciousness,  We substituted pinto beans and barley for the black-eyed peas and bulgur - because that's what was in the cupboards.  Good re-heated as well!

Orange delight

I made orange pound cake the other day.  Delicious - seriously so.  Recipe found here.

A matter of high importance

I have to confess to an addiction to Wonka Sluggle Gummies (shaped like Slugs!).  My favorite candy.

So the other day I picked up 2 other kind of Wonka Gummies (a) because I was curious and (b) because the cornor store didn't have Sluggles.

Meh!  I gotta say Sluggles are way way better.  Not gonna make that mistake again.  And now back to your refular programming.  :)

More cookies

I made these Reeses Pieces chocolate peanut butter cookies a few days agao and holy cow are they good.

Delicious

Made these cookies yesterday.  So very very good.

Dairy magic

Made butter today with the help of my Kitchenaid.  Serious dairy alchemy.  One plain log and one maple flavored.

I'm working on a list of things I wanna have done before 2011 is here.  Almost like a before-year's-end resolution list.  And then of course there will be new goals and ideas for the shiny new year.  I love list making.

Sharing

So I took absolutely no pictures but tonight's dinner was SO good. Grilled cheese sandwich made with sharp white cheddar and sauteed mushrooms. A side of cherry tomatoes roasted in balsamic vinegar. And sparkly wine to boot! Delicious.

Mmmmmushrooms!

Mushroom Bruschetta
Ingredients:
- Hen of the Woods Mushrooms (they look funny but oh so good!)
- Baguette
- Spreadable cheese (I used Alouette garlicky variety)
- Olive oil
- Rosemary

1. Slice up baguette into thin slices.
2. Dip one side into a bowl of olive oil.
3. Smear cheese on olive oil side.
4. Top with mushrooms & rosemary.
5. Broil until melty and toasty.
6. Eat quick before they disappear.

The hen of the woods mushrooms were so good and earthy.  My favorite kind to use on bruschetta - although its hard to go wrong with fresh mushrooms of any sort.  Yum!

(Also admitting this to Tastespotting.  First admission ever and an item on my 101 list.)

Salty and sweet

FYI - I made these pretzel cookies twice over the last month.  They are seriously good.

Quick trip to Pittsburgh

Saw Chris Pureka playing at Club Cafe. Such a good show!

Also grabbed dinner at Yo Rita and a breakfast cupcake at Dozen. Seriously impressed with Southside Pittsburgh's offerings.

Mmmmmm

FYI - McVitie's Hob Nobs just might be the perfect store-bought cookie. That's your public service announcement for the day.

Cookies

At the boy's request, I made some cookies today - chocolate chip cookies (recipe here). I will admit that I did not refrigerate the first batch overnight. Instead I popped them in the freezer for 45 minutes and made the first dozen. They are much too fluffy for my tastes, but the boy liked them loads. The rest of the batter is in the fridge for an overnight stay. I'm hoping the time in their does them some good.

So if you like puffy cookies, go for it! And I have to say that I'm loving how the walnuts were prepped and the use of browned butter . Totally using those techniques for the next time I make cookies. I'll report back on the next dozen and see if some rest does them good.

Anyone out there have the perfect recipe for chewy chocolate chip cookies?

Not gone away

Just busy with a total life fail. But I'm keeping busy with dvd watching, book reading, bargain shopping, learning to knit, and baking insane creations. Made this the other day - fantastic!

Pretty veggies

Swiss chard is so darn pretty. I planted two plants and they look marvelous. Now I must figure a good use for them.

Thanks heavens for Tastespotting!

(Image by Tina_Manthorpe)